Is the feeling mutual? Examining parent-teacher relationships in low-income, predominantly Latino schools

Strong parent-teacher relationships are critical to students’ academic success. Mismatches in parents’ and teachers’ perceptions of each other may negatively affect children’s outcomes. Using survey data collected from parents and teachers in 52 low-income, predominantly Latino schools, we explore subgroup variation in parents’ and teachers’ perceptions of their relationship, and we examine the potential of a school-based family engagement program to shift these perceptions. We find notable misalignment in parents’ and teachers’ perceptions when parents are Spanish-dominant Latinos. We also find that a family engagement program improves parents’ and teachers’ perceptions of their relationship but does not eliminate the gap between teachers’ and Spanish-dominant Latino parents’ perceptions of one another.